1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to containers with tamper resistant lids and more particularly relates to a container having a tamper resistant lid with a tear strip secured by latches formed on spurs on the tear strip.
2. Background Information
In recent years, package tampering has resulted in many methods being conceived to protect against tampering and indicate when tampering has occurred. These methods include products sealing and container will make container tamper evident. Any tampering with the seals on the container will be readily apparent so that potential user will be warned. Present methods have achieved some modicum of success but a disadvantages that they are not as secure as they could be and are in some cases costly to use.
One such container having a plastic lid has sections that are easily ruptured to remove the lid. Any attempt to force the lid off the container will rupture these section and provide evidence of tampering. However, this system can be defeated by slow, tedious prying of the lid a small section at a time, until a lid is removed without rupturing the tamper evidence seal.
Another method known of sealing containers is to provide a heat shrinkable plastic seal around the opening and over the container lid. However, this system can be defeated by warming the heat shrinkable sleeve and slowly stretching it until it can be easily removed. It can then be replaced and heat shrunk back over the cover after the product in the package has been tampered with. The container will then look like the seal has remained intact.
Another disadvantage of the present products is that the more secure they are the more difficult it is to open them and gain access to the contents of the container. For example the latter container with the heat shrinkable sleeve is sometimes so secure that it requires a knife to cut them away. Users have been injured by stabbing or cutting themselves trying to remove the seal.
Still another method of sealing and protecting containers is to provide a thin foil covering the mouth of the container beneath a lid. This too, while effective, has its disadvantages. The seal foil of film is covered by the lid losing the visual affect of a secure package. Another difficulty with this type of arrangement is that it is also difficult to remove and sometimes requires a cutting instrument to pierce the seal.
Thus it is apparent that while the present methods are effective, they have disadvantages in that they can be defeated or if very secure, they are difficult to remove.
Another method of sealing containers is disclosed and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,115,934 issued May 26, 1992 to the same inventor as that of the invention disclosed herein. This seal has been very effective and provides a tear-away strip that cannot be easily removed without evidence of tampering. The tear-away strip is comprised of a plurality of tabs joined by integral thin film links that are heat shrinkable. The lid with this tear-away strip is mounted on a container and the tear strip folded or pressed down beneath the lip of the container. Heat is then applied to the strip to shrink the thin film links securing the lid on a container. The thin film links are a very secure method of providing evidence of tampering because it is nearly impossible to remove the lid without rupturing one or more of these links. However, this method of protecting containers is costly and requires special machinery for mounting the lids on containers. The lids must first be put on the containers and rolled to fold the tear-strip down around the periphery of the container and then heated to shrink the think film links. Thus in addition to the cost of manufacturing the lid, the method of putting the lids on the containers add to the cost of the procedure.
It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide a tamper resistant lid similar to the lid disclosed in the above identified patent that is very secure. It this container, a tear strip is provided that is extremely difficult to remove without rupturing one or more sections of a tear-strip mounted on the lid.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a container lid that has a tear strip that is very secure but is also easy to remove by a user. The tear strip is secured to the lid container by placing the lid on the container and folding the tear strip beneath the rim of the container to lock the tear strip on the lid.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a tamper resistant container lid that is easy to open by using a pull tab on a tear strip that allows the tear strip to be easily stripped from the lid to gain access to the contents of the container.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a container with a tamper resistant lid that is secure, easy to open and also will provide a good, secure closure after a tear strip has been removed.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a container with a tamper resistant lid having a tear strip that is easily and quickly mounted on a container.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a container with a tamper resistant lid having a tear strip with a plurality of tabs around the periphery of the lid having latches formed on the tabs that engage slots in a flange on the lid to secure the lid on a container.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a container with a tamper resistant lid having a tear strip around the periphery of the lid formed with a plurality of tabs having multiple latches that engage a flange on a lip of the container securely fastening the lid on the container.